Escape from alcatraz birdman biography

Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was probably the most famous inmate ever to reside on Alcatraz. In 1909 he brutally murdered a bartender who had allegedly failed to pay a prostitute for whom Stroud was pimping in Alaska.

After shooting the bartender to death, Stroud took the man's wallet to ensure that he and the prostitute would receive compensation for her services. In 1911 Stroud was convicted of manslaughter, and he was sent to serve out his sentence at McNeil Island, a Federal penitentiary in Washington State.

Robert "the Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud - Alcatraz History, carousel

His record at McNeil indicates that he was violent and difficult to manage. On one occasion, Stroud viciously assaulted a hospital orderly who he insisted had reported him to the administration for attempting to procure narcotics through intimidation and threats. On another occasion he stabbed a fellow inmate.

Robert Stroud following his arriv Robert Stroud - Wikipedia ZUF